4.  The applicant was born in 1955 and lives in Budapest.
 (1) Criminal proceedings instituted in 1993
5.  On 18 February 1993 the applicant, an examiner at the Road Authority, was arrested by officers of the Veszprém County Police Department. He was charged with having issued false certificates in his role as a member of an organised group involved in the legalisation of unlawfully acquired cars. He was in pre-trial detention between 22 February and 7 May 1993 and interrogated on 19 and 24 February, 9 and 26 March, 7 May and 29 June 1993. The investigations were closed on 13 December 1993. By then, more than 100 suspects and 250 witnesses had been heard, house searches were carried out and expert opinions were obtained.
6.  On 9 June 1994 the Veszprém District Public Prosecutor's Office preferred a bill of indictment against the applicant and 88 other defendants.
7.  Between 22 November 1994 and 1 December 1995 the Veszprém District Court held 68 hearings. The District Court heard the defendants and 77 witnesses. The case-file of the trial amounted to 2,000 pages. It delivered and read out its 245-page long judgment on 1 and 14 December 1995 and on 30 January 1996. The District Court convicted the applicant of charges of bribery, forgery and misuse of fire arms and ammunition, and sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months' imprisonment. The applicant appealed, together with numerous other defendants.
8.  The competent Veszprém County Regional Court held six hearings. On 9 February 1997 it quashed the District Court's judgment in respect of eleven defendants, including the applicant, and remitted the case to the first-instance court. On 16 July 1998 the Veszprém District Public Prosecutor's Office preferred a supplementary bill of indictment extending the charges against the applicant to an offence of receiving stolen goods of considerable value.
9.  In the resumed proceedings, the District Court held hearings on 6 and 7 October 1998, 25 February, 15 June, 7 July, 26 October and 16 November 1999. On 15 December 1999 it delivered a judgment. The applicant was convicted of charges of bribery, forgery of official documents, receiving stolen goods and abuse of fire-arms. Despite the applicant's conviction for a further offence, the Regional Court reduced his sentence to 2 years' imprisonment, suspended for a 4-year probationary period. The Regional Court emphasised that the reduction of the sentence was exclusively due to the “unreasonably long duration of the proceedings”.
10.  The applicant appealed. On 12 October 2000 the Regional Court upheld his conviction. This judgment was served on the applicant on 12 June 2001.
(2) Criminal proceedings instituted in 1994
11.  On 9 May 1994 another set of criminal proceedings was instituted against the applicant in Budapest. In January 1996 the Budapest XIV District Public Prosecutor's Office preferred a bill of indictment charging the applicant with offences committed in a context similar to that under (1) above.
12.  On 2 April, 9 September and 10 December 1997, 31 March, 10 September and 2 November 1998 and 5 January 1999, the Pest Central District Court held hearings in the case. On 25 January 1999 the District Court delivered a judgment. It convicted the applicant of bribery and forgery of official documents, and sentenced him to a fine and 1 year and 2 months' imprisonment. The execution of the prison sentence was suspended for 4 years.
13.  The applicant appealed. On 11 February 2000 the Budapest Regional Court upheld his conviction. The judgment was served on the applicant on 21 March 2000. The Government submitted the reception notice which was stamped at the despatching Budapest Post Office on 21 March 2000. The handwritten note showing its receipt by the addressee bears the same date.
(3) Labour law proceedings
14.  On 10 May 1993 disciplinary proceedings were instituted against the applicant on account of the criminal proceedings brought against him. On 10 June 1993 the applicant's employer terminated his employment as a disciplinary measure. The applicant challenged this decision before the Budapest Labour Court on 24 June 1993.
15.  The Labour Court held hearings on 20 October 1993, 30 March and 6 May 1994. On the latter date, the Labour Court allowed the applicant's challenge. The applicant's employer appealed.
16.  The Regional Court held hearings on 22 March and 1 November 1995. On 17 November 1995 the Budapest Regional Court modified the Labour Court's decision and dismissed the applicant's claim. On 16 January 1996 the applicant pursued a petition for review.
17.  On 26 June 1996 the Supreme Court quashed the Labour and Regional Courts' decisions and remitted the case to the first-instance court, holding that the outcome of the criminal proceedings should be taken into account when delivering the judgment.
18.  On 29 April 1997 the applicant requested the postponement of a hearing scheduled for 11 June 1997 and requested that the proceedings be suspended. On 11 June 1997 the Labour Court suspended the proceedings pending the outcome of the criminal case and ordered the parties to submit all relevant documents without delay when the latter was concluded.
19.  On 12 April 2001 the applicant informed the Labour Court that his legal counsel had ceased to represent him. He failed to mention that, meanwhile, the criminal proceedings had ended.
20.  On 15 February 2002 the defendant submitted the final judgment convicting the applicant and requested that the case be continued.
21.  In the resumed proceedings, on 27 February 2002, the Labour Court ordered the parties to submit their motions for evidence. At the hearing on 24 June 2002 the Labour Court repeatedly ordered the applicant to submit his motion for evidence. The applicant complied with the order on 16 September 2002.
22.  On 21 October 2002 the Labour Court dismissed the applicant's action. The judgment was served on the applicant on 4 November 2002 and became final on 22 November 2002.